Lake City Public Library Receives Cities’ Award

Lake City Public Library Branch Manager JD Smithson.
(Photo courtesy of the Coeur d’Alene Press)

The Lake City Public Library (LCPL) was recognized with a Community Engagement Award from the Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) at its conference June 22 in Boise.
The award was one of two received by the City of Coeur d’Alene, which was also recognized with a Public Safety Award for its Community Action Team, which is partially funded through a federal COPS grant and proactively works with the community on crime prevention, relationship building and problem solving.
LCPL is a joint project between the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, the city, and the Coeur d’Alene School District that created a public library branch at the school library within Lake City High School on Ramsey Road.
“This award is confirmation of what we set out to do,” said Library Director Bette Ammon. “With the support of City Council Member and Library Liaison Kiki Miller and the cooperation of school officials we wanted to make the Lake City Library more accessible for the students and teachers while at the same time expanding library services to patrons in a fast-growing part of the city.”
The application for the library’s AIC award was submitted for the Community Outreach and Collaboration and Increasing Services and Low Cost category.
In the application Ammon noted that, “The Library’s long-range plan called for extending public library service as a future city need and constituents asked City Council members for library services to be provided near them.”
She noted that the Library Board of Trustees is aware of building and facilities costs and that finding an appropriate space and resources in an established school library would be more cost-effective. The proposal replicated a similar endeavor in Missoula, Mont., Ammon said.
LCPL was established following lengthy discussions between representatives of the School Board, Lake City High School administration, and the City Council.
“With the support from the City and the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation, this successful partnership brings public library service throughout the year to the fastest growing area of the city,” Ammon said. “Children can ride their bikes along well-planned trails and keep reading all summer long. Where equipment and materials languished during the summer, they are now in use all year long.”
The branch opened in January 2016 with J.D. Smithson as branch manager. She also serves as courier between the main library and the branch.
During the school year the library is open to the public Monday through Thursday, 3-6:30 p.m., providing its own collection of books, Internet computers, and Wi-Fi services. The branch can be designated as a pickup site for holds placed by patrons living near the site, and its materials are listed in the catalog for the Cooperative Information Network – a group of 27 libraries in North Idaho and eastern Washington.
When school is not in session, during the summer and other breaks, branch hours are extended. The library is currently open 12-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The branch offers its own programs, a story time for children and a LEGO Club that incorporates robots. Additional programs are planned for the future.